Piaggio sells an all-electric Porter van in the UK
We usually know Piaggio for its scooters and the great MP3 three-wheeled scooter, but it also builds a "microvan" based on the Daihatsu Hijet kei-car sized van. The vehicle, which is quite common for garden services in big European cities, uses a 660 cc engine. But there's an electric version as well, which is sold for use in city centers, as well as in Israel. Now the Piaggio Porter electric is also available in the UK, left hand driver notwithstanding, where it's exempt from the Congestion Charge in Central London. The Porter use long life Lead-Gel batteries that offer a range of approximately 80 miles (depending on terrain and driving style) and recharging is either with a standard 8 hour charge through a 13 amp socket or a faster 2 hour charge using 3 phase supply. It's available in 6 body styles: Panel Van, MPV, Pick Up, Big Deck, Tipper and Chassis Cab. Across the range, payload capacities range from 440kg for the electric MPV to 560kg for the electric Big Deck.
[Source: Piaggio UK]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
JamesWB 8:43AM (9/26/2008)
The range will be more like 70 miles tops. The 80 miles figure is taken from their website in the suburban roads section, and I really don't think this will get used outside the city with a top speed of on 35mph.
And that's when it's unloaded.
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